Turkey earthquake rescue operations to end, says government

• The AFAD reports that search and rescue activities have ended in most regions.
• With the death toll rising to 40,642 and 5,800 deaths in Syria.
• More than 5,800 deaths in Syria have been documented.

About two weeks after this month’s deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Administration (AFAD) reports that search and rescue activities have come to an end in the majority of regions.

“The death toll due to the earthquakes rose to 40,642, and the work of searching and rescue for people stuck under the debris has ended in most of the provinces,” Yunis Sezar, head of AFAD, said in a presser on Saturday.

“We believe we will end the search and rescue operations by tomorrow night,” he added.

On February 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that also hit neighboring Syria and southeast Turkey killed over 45,000 people, left over a million homeless, and is likely to have a billion-dollar economic impact.

“We are in front of perhaps the biggest disaster we have faced in history. The damage from the earthquakes and the aftershocks – that were more than 5,700 – were not only restricted to the affected 11 provinces,” Sezar said.

More than 5,800 deaths in Syria have been documented, primarily in the northwest. Since several days ago, the amount has not changed.

According to the World Health Organization, over 26 million people in Turkey and Syria require humanitarian assistance.

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